Marissa Little, second from left, watches as Oak Elementary 4th grader Hannah Arvidson, left, and Christine Wang, right, both 9, try to zip up their jacket with oven mitts while 5th grader Madison Cutler, center, 10, looks on Wednesday. Little’s 6-year old daughter Sadie has Down Syndrome and was speaking to children at the school to increase awareness of the condition.

Sadie Little, 6, a La Verne girl with Down syndrome, playfully mimics the pageant pose of Miss Inland Empire Rita Garabet in this March 2014 photo taken just before Sadie and Garabet celebrate World Down Syndrome Day.

The two Oak Mesa Elementary School fourth-graders feel it should apply to interactions with everyone and it’s really good to be nice to children affected by Down syndrome and who face other physical and developmental challenges.

The two boys, their classmates in Sandra Dunville’s classroom, 600 more students at the La Verne school and their teachers, parents, administrators and staffers will observe World Down Syndrome Day today with sensitivity sessions to increase their awareness and sensitivity.

World Down Syndrome Day, first observed in Geneva, Switzerland in 2006 and sanctioned by the United Nations General Assembly since 2011, was also declared by the La Verne City Council as a day to build bridges of understanding between special-needs and other children.

During this week’s council meeting, Mayor Don Kendrick presented parent activist Marissa Little with the city’s proclamation to join countries in the worldwide celebration always held on March 21.

Kendrick lamented the fact that one in 800 live births are babies born with Down syndrome. The number of pregnancies terminated, naturally and medically, after a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, puts the occurrence higher and unidentifiable.

Down syndrome, the proclamation noted, impacts learning styles, physical characteristics and health of individuals, but they can still participate in educational, recreational, social, community and occupational activities.

“The city of La Verne places high priorities on all children,” Kendrick said. “We learn from and look out for our senior citizens and give children as much help as we can in education, recreation, support services and encouragement. The council’s proclamation to support World Down Syndrome Day evolved from a conversation with Jon Blickenstaff and our desire to reach out to and support different groups and individuals. This includes kids with special needs.”

Blickenstaff and Little resolved to reach the children at Oak Mesa where Little’s daughter, Sadie, is a first-grader in Harriet Arreguin’s class. Little, her husband David and their 8-year-old son Hayden became activists to increase awareness about Down syndrome after Sadie, 6, was born with it.

Arreguin monitored Sadie taking an Accelerated Reader test after Sadie finished reading “Princess Posey and the Next Door Dog.” Sadie tested at 2.4, indicating she was reading above second-grade level. Sadie’s classmates, including her best friend Natalie Charette, were also in Patti Baughman’s kindergarten class last year. They know and accept her because of sensitivity sessions conducted at home and on campus by Little, Baughman, Arreguin, Blickenstaff, former principal Mary Donielson, parents and other teachers in Oak Mesa’s 22 classrooms.

“The kids are tolerant and supportive. If she needs help, they help her. We’re not talking to or treating Sadie differently,” Arreguin said. “I believe we need to create a society that’s sensitive to differences.”

Blickenstaff and Dunville said it’s never too early to teach tolerance.

“To separate children based on differences does nothing but make it more difficult later to understand each other,” Blickenstaff said.

Dunville makes her classroom a “safe zone” where students can discuss anything and hopefully find comfort and resolution, she said. She teaches by example and role modeling.

Dylan Biernacki, 10, reflected on a video Dunville showed students about the friendship of many years between a child with Down syndrome and one without. “It touched my heart,” Dylan said, happy that friendship has no boundaries. Brooke Bentley, also 10, felt friendship is rare, can’t be taken for granted and reinforces people’s similarities rather than their differences.

Fifth-grader Madison Cutler served as Little’s student helper for the classroom talks. Madison and fourth-grader Hannah Arvidson both have brothers with Down syndrome – respectively Evan, 6, a first-grade student at Grace Miller School, and 17-year-old Austin, a San Dimas High senior. They shared happy and family stories about the brothers they love so much, noting their kindness, sense of humor and generosity. Hannah especially loves Austin’s happy hugs. Madison has learned more about Down syndrome and uses her knowledge to help others better understand Evan.

Sebastian Palillo, 10, said everyone should be treated with respect. Shanna Davidson, 9, wore the Down syndrome colors of blue and yellow. She said her relatives celebrate the annual birthdays of her cousin with Down syndrome in a big way because “we’re so glad he’s still here.” Summer Atkinson, 9, showed empathy by wearing a shirt with bursts of color dominated by blue and yellow. She liked the idea of being part of an event observed by children in other countries.